Splash guards are generally mounted behind the front and/or rear wheels of a vehicle. Traditionally, splash guards were mounted to a vehicle panel or structure forming part of the wheel opening, such as, for example, a vehicle fender. The wheel opening defined by a vehicle fender typically included a flanged lip or rolled edge that generally extended from an exterior or outer surface of the fender in a direction toward the centerline of the vehicle. A lower portion of the flanged lip provided a natural mounting surface for the splash guard. That is, the flanged lip or rolled edge of the fender provided a curved, planar splash guard mounting surface. A planar mounting region of the splash guard was placed against the flanged lip or rolled edge such that the planar mounting region of the splash guard abutted the curved, planar mounting surface defined by the flanged lip of the fender. The flanged lip of the fender thereby provided a curved planar mounting surface that was substantially parallel to the planar mounting region of the splash guard, that is, when the splash guard was positioned against the flanged lip for installation, a general extent of the curved, planar flanged lip defining the fender mounting surface was generally parallel to the planar mounting region of the rear splash guard. The splash guard was typically affixed to the flanged lip by a plurality of threaded fasteners.
Today, many vehicles designs are based on so-called global vehicle platforms. A global vehicle platform typically refers to use of a single vehicle platform as the base or platform for the manufacturing of a number of vehicle models which varying interior and exterior designs, engine/power train options, etc. Typically, the global vehicle platform includes a common underbody, frame and suspension components. The global vehicle platform concept allows for manufacturing efficiencies and standardization resulting from producing a single, high volume platform that may be utilized across multiple vehicle models and even shared by multiple cooperating manufacturers. At the same time, a global vehicle platform advantageously supports a variety of exterior/interior design options and engine/drive train choices so that vehicles may be customized for particular countries or regions that the vehicles will be marketed to.
One issue that arises with the increasing use of global vehicle platforms involves vehicle standards. Specifically, different countries or regions may mandate different vehicle standards that have to be met for any vehicle sold into that country or region in terms of safety, emissions, ability to recycle vehicle components, etc. For a vehicle sold, for example, into the European market, certain European automotive standards have to be met. Thus, if a particular vehicle is planned to be sold into the European market, all vehicles produced on the single vehicle platform will generally be manufactured to conform to the European automotive standards, even if a substantial portion or majority of the vehicles will be sold, for example, in the United States. As such, many current vehicle models sold in the U.S. market today, which conform to certain European and/or other automotive standards, have a rear bumper fascia that extends forwardly from the rear of the vehicle and forms a lower portion of the vehicle wheel well opening. The rear bumper fascia, thus, comprises a vehicle panel that defines the mounting structure or mounting region for mounting of rear wheel splash guards.
In an increasing number of vehicles, the mounting region or surface presented by such a rear bumper fascia is markedly different than the flanged lip or rolled edge of the vehicle fender defining the wheel well opening, as discussed above. Specifically, a forward edge portion of the rear bumper fascia projects forwardly, in a direction generally parallel to a centerline of the vehicle, without an inwardly extending flanged lip or rolled edge. In such vehicles, the wheel well molding, which defines an interior of the wheel well, is typically recessed or set back from the forward edge portion of the rear bumper fascia. Thus, the mounting region or mounting surface presented for mounting of a rear wheel splash guard is a projecting edge of a vehicle panel, namely, a forward edge portion of the rear bumper fascia wherein the projecting edge extends in a direction generally parallel to a center line of the vehicle. The projecting edge defined by the forward edge portion of the rear bumper fascia does not include any type of flanged lip providing a mounting surface that would be generally parallel to the mounting region of the rear wheel splash guard. Such a projecting edge mounting region or structure does not facilitate mounting a splash guard to the rear wheel well opening defined by the rear bumper fascia via a plurality of threaded fasteners.